Double bass

The double bass is widely considered to be the largest and lowest-tuned member of the violin family of string instruments. In reality, however, it is not. It is the only modern descendant of the viola da gamba family of instruments, a family which originated in the 15th century. Members of the viola da gamba family can be characterized most easily by the sloping shoulders (as opposed to the bulging shoulders of the violin).It resembles the other members of the family, but is much larger and has slight differences in shape. The instrument is known by several other names (especially when used in folk, bluegrass, Western and jazz music), including contrabass, string bass, upright bass, standup bass, acoustic bass, bass viol, bass violin, doghouse bass, dog-house, bull fiddle, hoss bass, and bunkhouse bass. A person who plays this instrument is called a double-bassist or contrabassist.

Classical double bass repertoire

In European classical music, the double bass has been primarily used to provide a solid but usually simple bass line. Bass soloists are rare but not unheard of. Domenico Dragonetti was perhaps the first soloist of note. He was a friend of Beethoven. Together they presented a number of the cello sonatas with the composer on piano and Dragonetti often performed the cello solos in Beethoven's pieces in performances.

Related Topics:
European classical music - Domenico Dragonetti - Beethoven

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Giovanni Bottesini was a 19th century virtuoso on the instrument sometimes called the Paganini of the double bass. He wrote a number of concert pieces for the instrument, including concertos, and also pedagogical works.

Related Topics:
Giovanni Bottesini - Paganini - Concerto

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Few works have been written for the instrument by better known composers, though there are a few examples and exceptions. The Mozart aria KV 612 "Per questa bella mano" (By this beautiful hand), being one.

Related Topics:
Mozart - KV

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We know that Joseph Haydn wrote a concerto Hob. VIIc 1 for bass which has now been lost. It was written for Johann Georg Schwenda, an outstanding double bassist at Esteháza. Remaining evidence of his regard for the instrument can be found in solo passages he wrote for it in the trios of the minuets in his symphonies numbers 6, 7 and 8 (Le Matin, Le Midi and Le Soir). All were probably written for the player Friedrich Pichelberger. Also around this time Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf wrote a number of works for the double bass including a number of concerto and a Sinfonia concertante for Viola, Double Bass and Orchestra.

Related Topics:
Joseph Haydn - Minuet - 6 - 7 - 8 - Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf

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Later pieces with solo parts for the bass include the Fantasy for Double bass and orchestra on a Theme by Rossini by Niccolo Paganini and a duo for cello and double bass by Gioacchino Rossini. The famous Trout Quintet by Franz Schubert added the double bass to the traditional piano quartet, creating an ensemble consisting of all four members of the bowed string family plus piano. Antonin Dvorak wrote a much less well known quintet in which the standard string quartet is augmented by adding a double bass. Probably the most famous classical piece featuring double bass is "The Elephant" from Camille Saint-Saëns' The Carnival of Animals. Also worthy of note is the passage which begins the third movement of Gustav Mahler's 1st symphony where a solo double bass quotes a minor key version of the children's song "Frere Jacques".

Related Topics:
Niccolo Paganini - Cello - Gioacchino Rossini - Trout Quintet - Franz Schubert - Antonin Dvorak - Camille Saint-Saëns - Gustav Mahler - 1st symphony

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In the 20th century the bass has been somewhat better served in classical music, although it is still only rarely used as a solo instrument. One of the very few double bass concertos is by Serge Koussevitzky (better known as a conductor), a piece written in 1905. Other pieces to feature the instrument include Luciano Berio's Psy (1989), for solo bass; Composition II (1973) by Galina Ustvolskaya, for eight double basses, drum and piano; and a sonata for double bass and piano by Paul Hindemith (who also wrote a number of other pieces for unusual solo instruments).

Related Topics:
20th century - Concerto - Serge Koussevitzky - Conductor - Luciano Berio - Galina Ustvolskaya - Drum - Piano - Sonata - Paul Hindemith

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Over the last thirty years or so players such as Bertram Turetzky and Gary Karr have commissioned a large number of new works. Player and composer Edgar Meyer has written three concertos for the instrument and arrangements of Bach's unaccompanied cello suites. Meyer also includes the double bass in the majority of his chamber music compositions. Player and teacher Rodney Slatford, via his company Yorke Edition, has done much to publish both old and new music for the double bass.

Related Topics:
Bertram Turetzky - Gary Karr - Edgar Meyer - Concertos - Bach - Unaccompanied cello suites - Chamber music - Rodney Slatford

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